Second Chances
by Alanna of Roses
Summary: A continuation of Starting Over, where Jess joins the boys on their quest to find their father and kill the Yellow-eyed demon. Jess must face the terrors of a world she never knew existed and find her own courage. AU, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! I have decided to continue my story, Starting Over, in this sequel. Please be aware that I may not be posting regularly, as I am in school and that is a priority. However, several people have requested that I continue it, and I have finally got some inspiration to do so. Second Chances will roughly follow the show for now, but of course be AU in the fact that Jess survived and is travelling with them. When and if I decide to part from the storyline, I will let you know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story, and let me know what you think and/or might like to see in future chapters. Thanks!**

"So you hunt…ghosts?" Dean had given a very sketchy outline of what the brothers called 'hunting'. Mostly Jess had understood that it wasn't the guided group activity she had thought. It was becoming clearer now how their Dad had gotten 'lost'.

"Ghosts and other stuff. Spirits, poltergeists, evil baddies." Dean nodded.

Jess scoffed. "Vampires?"

Dean gave her a cocky grin. "Haven't met one yet, but if we do, we'll take care of it."

Jess shook her head. "Come on, Dean. This has got to be some sort of joke. I mean, yes, some messed-up psycho tried to kill me, but ghosts? Really? Humans can be psychos, too."

"Don't I know it. But we aren't trying to play you, Jessica. This stuff is real, and it's out there. It's out there, and right now it's after you."

Sam spoke up for the first time since they had piled into the Impala, a warning in his eyes. "Dean."

Dean looked at his brother quietly. "Sammy, she's gotta be prepared."

"No, she doesn't. We are gonna find Dad, kill this thing, and then Jess and I are going back to Stanford and our normal lives. This isn't her fight."

"Yes it is." The sound of her own voice was a surprise even to Jess. Both boys turned to look back at her in surprise.

She cleared her throat a bit nervously. "It is my fight. I'm not letting whatever that… thing was just come in and screw up my life. I want to help, even if I still think you guys are crazy."

Dean grinned at Sam. "See?" He looked back at Jess appreciatively. "Dude, you picked one sassy chick."

Sam glared at him. Jess snorted.

After a pause Sam asked, in a long-suffering tone, "So, where are we going again?"

"Blackwater Ridge, Colorado."

Sam pulled out the map. The coordinates were marked in a big red 'X'. "Look at this."

"Huh?" Dean asked.

"There's nothing there. Just a bunch of trees."

Jess leaned over Sam's shoulder to get a better look. "Why would your Dad send you to the middle of nowhere?"

"He has his reasons." Dean defended. "I'm sure when we find him, he'll have all the answers we need. About this," he nodded to the map, "and about what happened at Stanford."

"Wait," Jess held up a hand. "Your Dad doesn't even know about what happened. Why would he have answers?"

Sam shot Dean a look that quite clearly stated that his brother was a big-mouthed moron. He turned to look at Jess. "We've…seen something similar before. Dad's got some ideas and leads on…this type of… stuff."

Jess sat back. "Wow. I've never heard such a long sentence with such little information."

Sam winced.

Dean took over. "Look, Jess. I know this is all crazy, and you want more information. But we are also trying to protect you, and part of that is not knowing everything. The less you know, the less things that will try to k…come after you."

Jess stared into Dean's eyes in the rearview mirror. She spoke softly, "Things are already trying to kill me, Dean." She saw Sam shudder.

"I know." He was unswayed. "You're going to have to trust us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Um. Hi. *Waves sheepishly.* Been awhile, huh? I'm sorry. I have been utterly unable to find inspiration for this story. I kept opening a blank Word document and then just sitting there for half an hour before closing my computer in frustration. Anyway, you have Tumblr to thank for this chapter, as I saw an adorable Sam/Jess prompt that gave me the incentive I needed to write. So, here is the (super late) next chapter. I hope you can forgive me. **

Jess woke to Sam shaking her shoulder gently. She blinked blearily up at him, realizing the car had stopped and Dean wasn't in the driver's seat.

"Sam. Are we there?"

He smiled gently, "Yeah."

"Where is here?" Jess rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. The Impala was parked in front of a small building surrounded by trees. Dean waved at her from the back of the car, where he was rummaging in the trunk.

Sam shifted to see her better. "Ranger Station. We are going to see if there is a case here, find out why Dad sent us."

Jess tilted her head. "How are you going to do that? I mean, most people don't believe in ghosts, right? So how do you ask people about that sort of stuff without them thinking you're crazy?"

Sam grinned, "Wanna find out?"

"Sure." Jess scrambled out of the car on Sam's heels. They walked around to where Dean had finished up whatever he was doing in the trunk. He eyed her for a second before he glanced at Sam. Sam nodded, and Dean led the trio into the building.

Sam went to the detailed map near the center of the floor. He pointed out Blackwater Ridge. Jess leaned over as he described the land, trying to see if she could spot a clue as to why they were here.

"Check out the size of this frigging bear."

Sam and Jess both looked up at Dean simultaneously. Sam gave a small sigh as he walked over to his brother. "There are a dozen or more grizzlies in the area."

Jess shuddered. "Sounds fun."

"You guys aren't planning a trip to Blackwater ridge, are you?" An older man came from the back of the building. He held a cup of coffee easily in his hand, and his hat shaded his friendly but piercing eyes.

Sam grinned boyishly, "Oh no, sir. We are students from UC Boulder. We are just working on a paper."

Dean got in on the act. "Environment, yeah."

Jess wasn't sure whether to be alarmed at the easy way they lied or roll her eyes at their absurdity.

The Ranger glanced at her, then back at the brothers. "Bull."

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. Both boys tensed.

"That Hayley girl sent you here, didn't she."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

Jess blinked.

A few minutes and several lies later, all three of them were out by the Impala, Dean clutching a camping permit in his hand.

"So that's it? That's the case?"

"Maybe." Sam looked thoughtful. "There are a lot of monsters that have been known to prey on campers. We should see why Haley is so worried about her brother if he's not due back yet."

"Are we going to lie to her, too?" Jess asked hesitantly.

The brothers looked at each other for a minute, holding a silent argument. Dean turned around and got into the car, leaving the couple alone.

Sam turned to Jess and held out his arms. She walked into them, willingly. He held her close and she breathed him in.

His voice rumbled in her ear when he spoke. "I know this is all crazy to you. This life isn't easy. As hunters, we try to save people, but often that means lying to them. There are a lot of tough choices and no easy victories. It's why I never wanted you to have to be a part of this."

He pushed her away gently, his hands on either side of her face as he stared deep into her eyes. "I promise, Jess. I'm going to find the thing that tried to kill you, and I'm going to keep you safe."

"I know." She kissed him.

**I am still working out some kinks in this story. I need to figure out how much Jess is going to be involved in hunting, especially early on. I need to decide how much I am sticking to the storyline, how detailed I want to get with each episode, and how to incorporate Jess into daily Winchester life. As such, it may be awhile before this story really gets going. I will try not to have another break as ridiculously long as this one. Apologies. **


End file.
